PATRIOTS THIS WEEK

Patriots (0-1) at Jets (0-1), 1 p.m. Sunday (CBS)

Spread: Patriots by 6

Outlook: Rookie quarterbacks Mac Jones and Zach Wilson give a fresh feel to an AFC East rivalry that sees Pats on a 10-game winning streak. New England got unlucky losing to Miami in opener and will be in bounce-back-big mode. Jets’ Wilson got sacked six times by Carolina last week and now will be missing injured left tackle Mekhi Becton. Ouch.

Prediction: Patriots, 23-10

GAME OF THE WEEK

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Chiefs (1-0) at Ravens (0-1), 8:20 p.m. Sunday (NBC)

Spread: Chiefs by 3 1/2

Outlook: Baltimore’s defense gave up 435 passing yards to Derek Carr last week, and now here comes Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. And the Chiefs are on a 10-1 run away from home, but I still give Baltimore an upset shot. Wouldn’t bet on it, though.

Prediction: Chiefs, 30-23

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Cowboys (0-1) at Chargers (1-0), 4:25 p.m. Sunday, CBS

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Spread: Chargers by 3 1/2

Outlook: I like Dallas – with added rest and prep time – for an outright road upset, although I’d feel better if WR Michael Gallup wasn’t lost to injury. Dallas gave the Bucs all they could handle last week, and the  Chargers are only 3-9-1 against the spread in past 13 games as a home favorite.

Prediction: Cowboys, 37-30

OTHER GAMES

Bills (0-1, -3 1/2) over @Dolphins (1-0), 27-20: The Bills and Josh Allen are due a breakout game after their big offense got humbled by Steelers last week, but I doubt whether the Fins and Tua Tagovailoa can hang in a shootout.

@Bears (0-1, -2 1/2) over Bengals (1-0), 23-17: Cincy impressed beating the Vikings last week while the Bears did not in losing to the Rams. I see a motivated Andy Dalton performing well vs. his longtime former team as he holds off the fan cry for rookie top pick Justin Fields.

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@Browns (0-1, -12 1/2) over Texans (1-0), 31-13: Houston upset the Jaguars in opener but get a whole other level of foe here. Expect to see a rout-win by the Browns in their home opener to ease the sting of last week’s blown-lead loss to the Chiefs.

Rams (1-0, -3 1/2) over @Colts (0-1), 27-20: Indy tempts here as a home dog … but did last week, too, and fizzled against Seattle, the Colts’ eighth consecutive loss straight-up as an underdog. The Rams are thinking Super Bowl with a top-tier D and now Matthew Stafford.

@Eagles (1-0, +3) over 49ers (1-0), 31-28:  The Niners nearly blew it against Detroit last week while the Eagles were thumping Atlanta impressively. The Eagles are on an 8-1 series run and solid hunch-play in home opener.

@Steelers (1-0, -5 1/2) over Raiders (1-0), 24-16: Pittsburgh, off a really big win over Buffalo, is a tall ask for a Vegas squad on a short week after winning in OT on Monday night. Big Ben and that defense are not to be dismissed even as the AFC North hype funnels to just about everybody else.

@Panthers (1-0, +3) over Saints (1-0), 23-21: Jameis Winston tossed five TDs in upset of Green Bay last week and Sam Darnold looked really good, too. The Saints are missing eight members (COVID-19) including most of the offensive coaching staff. Carolina is on an 8-2 run covering as dogs.

Broncos (1-0, -6) over @Jaguars (0-1), 24-13: It’s the home opener of the Urban Meyer/Trevor Lawrence era, but hardly an ideal setting. Lawrence is coming off a three-pick debut, and Urban spent the week denying he would be bolting for the Southern Cal job. Jax’s defense gave up 37 points to a bad Houston team last week. Now Denver’s pass rush won’t make things any easier for Lawrence.

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@Cardinals (1-0, -3 1/2) over Vikings (0-1), 34-31: Minnesota let one slip to the Bengals in OT last week, while Arizona rolled in Tennessee. The Vikings have won five of six in the series, but I still like Arizona in its home opener with the Vikings keeping it close.

@Buccaneers (1-0, -12 1/2) over Falcons (0-1), 34-23: Will Matt Ryan flash back to the 2015 Super Bowl and watch Tom Brady erase a huge deficit? Even if not, Tampa and Brady at home with extra rest is a mountain to scale, but a crazy hunch says Atlanta covers.

@Seahawks (1-0, -5 1/2) over Titans (0-1), 28-24: Seattle in its home opener makes for a tough visit, but I see Tennessee bouncing back from last week’s disappointing opener to at least keep it within the bet line.

@Packers (0-1, -11) over Lions (0-1), 30-21: The Packers are on a 14-2 run at home and also have won 17 of past 20 at home vs. division rival Detroit. But Detroit is on a 7-1 run against the spread vs. the Pack and 11 is a bunch to give. A comfy home win, but not a rout.

Last week: 8-8 overall, 9-7 vs. spread.

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